Barnsley appoints former Sweden’s U21 manager Poya Asbaghi as the new head coach
Barnsley have announced that Poya Asbaghi has been appointed the club’s new head coach.
Asbaghi has joined the Sky Bet Championship team after leaving the Swedish national set-up, where he was under-21 head coach.
The 36-year-old former IFK Gothenburg manager had previously been interviewed for the position in Oakwell before former head coach Gerhard Struber’s arrival in November 2019.
Asbaghi began his coaching career as an assistant in the Swedish third team Dalkurd FF before taking over two years later.
The Iranian-born coach then moved to Gefle IF 2017 before a two-year period with Gothenburg, during which time he led the club in honor of the Swedish Cup.
Asbaghi is joined at Oakwell by Ferran Sibila, who was his assistant in Gothenburg.
Barnsley’s CEO Khaled El-Ahmad said: “We welcome Poya and Ferran to the club. Both are good people, good coaches with a clear leadership and tactical philosophy.
“Poya was on the radar already in 2019 and when we went through our recruitment process, it became clear to all parties that Poya and Ferran can take Barnsley FC forward.
“We would like to thank (caretaker) Jo Laumann and the first team’s coaching staff for their continued hard work and professionalism in recent weeks during what has been a transition period for the club.”
Laumann will oversee Saturday’s match against Fulham, with Asbaghi expected to train on Monday. Tykes is currently 23rd in the championship and only stayed away from the bottom due to Derby’s points deduction.